Fine Art with Foundation Year

Why study BA (Hons) Fine Art at BNU?
Inspiring facilities
As student studying fine art, you’ll be homed in a dedicated studio space. This will serve a space where you can explore your craft and cultivate your artistic practice. In addition, you'll enjoy access to a wide array of Art & Design resources, enhancing your creative journey.

You can take advantage of our Fashion and Textile workshops, equipped with state-of-the-art facilities including screen printing, and letterpress equipment, knit machines and Dye Lab. Additionally, you'll have the opportunity to explore your creativity in our 3D design workshops, where you can work with various materials such as ceramics, metalwork, and woodworking.

You'll also be supported to develop your photographic, as well as moving image techniques, in our industry-standard photography studios and wet darkroom. Additionally, you’ll be able to edit any video and photographic work with the latest Adobe Creative software in our dedicated Mac media suites. Our team of specialised technicians and demonstrators are readily available on-site to provide support and share their expertise whenever you require assistance.

Discover your career path
Fine art offers a remarkable opportunity to embark on a global journey, from art galleries and exhibitions to immersive experiences and commissioned projects. Regardless of where you envision your artistic endeavours taking you, with BNU guidance, you can transform your creative ideas and concepts into a thriving career.

Being a part of the Art, Design and Performance School at BNU means you'll benefit from a hands-on course grounded in practical experience and complemented by contextual studies. You'll have the opportunity to engage with various courses across the university in collaborative projects. This will enable you to establish a diverse network, reflecting the realities of the real world.

Our Fine art degree empowers you to become a versatile artist, cultivating a distinct artistic identity and honing the research methods that best align with your unique creative vision.

Industry connections
Your lecturers will provide you with current insight into the subject, as well as develop your learning through research, collaborative projects, industry briefs and external opportunities. This will help you refine your new skills, methods and knowledge to become critically engaged with your practice.

Due to connections with the Buckinghamshire Cultural Strategy Group, you could have access to involvement with professional exhibition or curatorial projects in collaboration with some of the county’s galleries and museums.

What will I study?
Whether your passion lies in ceramics, woodwork, metalwork, sculpture, photography, video, painting, drawing, or any other artistic medium, your degree empowers you to craft compelling pieces that transcend individual media. As an artist, you are encouraged to flourish through collaborative projects with your fellow students, actively engage with the community, and partner with external organizations to expand and share your creative practice.

During your time studying this degree you’ll engage with cutting edge approaches to material and visual practices, as well as those that challenge the boundaries of the field. This is done through conceptual, theoretical, cultural, and ethical frameworks that underpin the contemporary arts, through practical workshops, studio-based practice and self-managed projects.

This course is also offered as a four-year programme, including an initial Foundation Year. The Foundation Year is a valuable stepping-stone, enabling you to enhance your academic study skills, bolster your confidence, and identify your individual strengths and areas for growth as you prepare for progression into the fine art classes and undergraduate program.

Foundation Year
Core Modules
Research and Development in Art and Design
Collaboration in Creative Practice
Visual Experimentation
Contextual Studies: Ideas, Concepts, Intro to research & writing
Portfolio
Project - Creative Realisation

Year one
Core Modules
Digital Realms and Virtual Spaces
Histories, Theories and Methods: Fine Art
Intermediality & Interdisciplinarity 1: Material & Processes
Intermediality and Interdisciplinarity 2: Studio and Contemporary Practices
Creative Sector: Collaborative Practices

Year two
Core Modules
Critical Studies and Research: Fine Art
Professional Studies: Fine Art Networks
Fine Art 2.0: Sustainability and Ecological Thinking
Beyond the Visual
Participatory and Socially Engaged Practices

Year three
Core Modules
Contextual Report on Practice
Creative and Professional Development
Professional Practice
Research and Development: FMP
Final Major Project

At the centre of this course is studio-based activity. You’ll spend a significant amount of time in the studio working on both individual study and group tuition. On the course you are pushed to explore your own style, which you’ll build into your own distinctive portfolio that demonstrates your unique strengths and interests for prospective work opportunities after graduation.

Our experienced teaching team of practicing artists, art professionals and researchers, provides a supportive environment to help you reach your full potential during this formative stage of your career and boost your confidence. During your time with us you’ll benefit from a close-knit community with your fellow students, as well as tutors who are made up of practicing artists and researchers.

There will be clear emphasis on arts-based practice, where you will develop projects from concept to exhibition outcomes and be encouraged to adopt experimental approaches and methods. Exhibiting, networking and developing as a practicing artist is central to the course. Alongside this, you will be offered access to networks and opportunities for collaboration in a range of contexts, in order to develop transferable and entrepreneurial skills and experience of a range of environments, further extending your career options.

As well as this, due to the University’s connections with local and regional arts and cultural organisations, you will have access to involvement with projects in collaboration with some of the county’s galleries and museums, as well as other creative opportunities.

You’ll also be assessed though; 1:1 or small group tutorials, seminars and lectures, portfolio and presentations, written assessments, sketchbooks, group critiques and self-directed study.

At the end of your course, you’ll exhibit your artwork as part of our popular Art and Design Summer Show. It’s a chance to showcase your talents and potentially catch the attention of future employers and talent scouts.